1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to kettles for boiling water, such as teakettles and, in particular, to teakettles having lidded refill openings in the top thereof beneath the handle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Kettles are well-known cooking vessels for boiling water or the like. A common configuration for such kettles is a hollow body defining a reservoir chamber and having a spout and a bail-type handle, with a separate refill opening in the top of the body closable by a removable lid. Such a configuration is, for example, illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,585. One drawback of such kettle configurations is that, during the pouring operation the handle and, therefore, the user's hand, is disposed generally above the spout, so that steam escaping upwardly from the spout can scald the user's hand. One attempted solution to this problem is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,128, in which the spout is provided with a cap coupled to a hinged bail handle. When the handle is lifted it pivots rearwardly, pulling the cap to an open position in which it also serves as a shield to deflect steam from the spout. But the cap is quite small, serving only a limited shielding function, and steam may still escape past the cap to reach the user's hand.
Another difficulty with lidded dome-shaped kettles, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,128, is that the handle must extend well above the top of the dome to provide adequate clearance for removal of the lid, which is typically situated at the top of the dome. Thus, the grasping portion of the handle is a substantial distance above the center of gravity of the kettle, which tends to make pouring from the kettle more difficult.